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The West Wing season 3

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The West Wing
Season 3
DVD box cover. Cast from top to bottom and left to right: Charlie, Sam, C. J., President Bartlet, Toby, Donna, Josh, Abbey and Leo
Starring
No. of episodes21 + 2 specials
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseOctober 3, 2001 (2001-10-03) –
May 22, 2002 (2002-05-22)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 2
Next →
Season 4
List of episodes

The third season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from October 3, 2001 to May 22, 2002 and consisted of 21 episodes and 2 special episodes.

Production

The season premiere was delayed by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. When the season did return, the first episode was a special episode titled "Isaac and Ishmael," in which the main cast paid tribute to those affected by the attacks and informed viewers about what to expect from the delayed premiere.

Series creator Aaron Sorkin acknowledged in October 2002 that the terrorism-related plots designed to keep the series relevant after the real-life attacks were awkward at times, saying "from week to week, you felt like you were writing the show handcuffed, a little bit. I didn't know how to write it anymore. It was a constant search for what I wasn't doing that used to make the show work. Maybe there was a way to make it work. There probably was. I wasn't able to find it in twenty-two episodes."[1]

Cast

The third season had star billing for nine major roles. Eight of these were filled by returning main cast members from the second season. Rob Lowe received star billing, while Martin Sheen received the final credit for his role as President Josiah Bartlet. The rest of the ensemble, now including previously recurring Stockard Channing, were credited alphabetically. Channing was only credited for the episodes in which she appears.

Main cast

Plot

The third season, covering the administration's third and fourth years in office, begins with Bartlet announcing his intention to run for re-election and is dominated by the subsequent campaign. Other prominent story lines include a Congressional investigation into allegations Bartlet committed electoral fraud by concealing his MS, a death threat against C.J. and the ensuing relationship she develops with the Secret Service agent assigned to protect her, and Qumari defense minister Abdul Shareef's planning of terrorist attacks against the US. The season finale resolves several of these story lines when Bartlet meets his electoral opponent and reaffirms his commitment to defeat him, finally decides to order Shareef's assassination, and, just minutes after the man who threatened her is arrested, C.J.'s Secret Service agent interrupts a convenience store robbery and is killed.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
45
46		1
2		"Manchester"Thomas SchlammeAaron SorkinOctober 10, 2001 (2001-10-10)
October 17, 2001 (2001-10-17)		227201
227202		23.65[2]
20.79[3]
473"Ways and Means"Alex GravesStory by : Eli Attie & Gene Sperling
Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin		October 24, 2001 (2001-10-24)22720321.47[4]
484"On the Day Before"Christopher MisianoStory by : Paul Redford & Nanda Chitre
Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin		October 31, 2001 (2001-10-31)22720417.78[5]
495"War Crimes"Alex GravesStory by : Allison Abner
Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin		November 7, 2001 (2001-11-07)22720519.48[6]
506"Gone Quiet"Jon HutmanStory by : Julia Dahl & Laura Glasser
Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin		November 14, 2001 (2001-11-14)22720719.89[7]
517"The Indians in the Lobby"Paris BarclayStory by : Allison Abner
Teleplay by : Allison Abner & Kevin Falls and Aaron Sorkin		November 21, 2001 (2001-11-21)22720816.73[8]
528"The Women of Qumar"Alex GravesStory by : Felicia Wilson & Laura Glasser & Julia Dahl
Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin		November 28, 2001 (2001-11-28)22720920.86[9]
539"Bartlet for America"Thomas SchlammeAaron SorkinDecember 12, 2001 (2001-12-12)22721018.40[10]
5410"H. Con-172"Vincent MisianoStory by : Eli Attie
Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin		January 9, 2002 (2002-01-09)22721118.38[11]
5511"100,000 Airplanes"David NutterAaron SorkinJanuary 16, 2002 (2002-01-16)22721219.05[12]
5612"The Two Bartlets"Alex GravesStory by : Gene Sperling
Teleplay by : Kevin Falls and Aaron Sorkin		January 30, 2002 (2002-01-30)22721319.12[13]
5713"Night Five"Christopher MisianoAaron SorkinFebruary 6, 2002 (2002-02-06)22721418.14[14]
5814"Hartsfield's Landing"Vincent MisianoAaron SorkinFebruary 27, 2002 (2002-02-27)22721516.36[15]
5915"Dead Irish Writers"Alex GravesStory by : Paul Redford
Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin		March 6, 2002 (2002-03-06)22721619.49[16]
6016"The U.S. Poet Laureate"Christopher MisianoStory by : Laura Glasser
Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin		March 27, 2002 (2002-03-27)22721716.95[17]
6117"Stirred"Jeremy KaganStory by : Dee Dee Myers
Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin & Eli Attie		April 3, 2002 (2002-04-03)22721817.26[18]
6218"Enemies Foreign and Domestic"Alex GravesPaul Redford and Aaron SorkinMay 1, 2002 (2002-05-01)22721917.40[19]
6319"The Black Vera Wang"Christopher MisianoAaron SorkinMay 8, 2002 (2002-05-08)22722017.26[20]
6420"We Killed Yamamoto"Thomas SchlammeAaron SorkinMay 15, 2002 (2002-05-15)22722115.54[21]
6521"Posse Comitatus"Alex GravesAaron SorkinMay 22, 2002 (2002-05-22)22722216.64[22]

Note: On the original U.S. Season 3 DVD release (at least), the episode numbers for Season 3 start with "Isaac and Ishmael" as episode 1, and all subsequent episodes numbers are increased by 1 in comparison to this chart.

Specials

Two special episodes, not part of the official continuity, were produced to complement the series and were broadcast on NBC. Both episodes ran within the third season and were included on the season's DVDs.[23]

"Isaac and Ishmael"

Main article: Isaac and Ishmael

Written by series creator Aaron Sorkin and directed by Christopher Misiano, this episode was a terrorism-themed episode produced in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The episode pushed the scheduled season premiere back a week and encouraged viewers to donate to charity—profits from the episode and cast members' weekly pay were also donated.[24] The episode "was written and produced in record time"—less than three weeks[24][25]—and aired on October 3, 2001.

"Documentary Special"

The second special interspersed the characters' fictional lives with interviews of real West Wing personnel, including Presidents Ford, Carter, and Clinton; press secretaries Marlin Fitzwater and Dee Dee Myers; presidential advisors David Gergen, Paul Begala, and incumbent Karl Rove; Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; Chief of Staff Leon Panetta; presidential personal secretary Betty Currie; and speechwriter Peggy Noonan.[26] The documentary won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2002 for "Outstanding Special Class Program".[27]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 64% with an average score of 10 out of 10 based on 11 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The West Wing still fires off enthralling repartee as if the series' wit was mandated by executive order, but this underwhelming third season finds the series' idealism curdling into a smug self-satisfaction that can't seem to stop wondering why real politics can't be as simple as they are in the fantasy world Aaron Sorkin has crafted."[28]

Accolades

The third season received 21 Emmy Award nominations for the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards, the most-nominated season, winning a total of 4 awards. The series won its third consecutive award for Outstanding Drama Series and Allison Janney also won her third consecutive award, this time in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category. John Spencer and Stockard Channing each won for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, respectively, after being nominated twice before. The season received several acting nominations, which included Martin Sheen for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series; Dulé Hill, Richard Schiff, and Bradley Whitford for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series; Janel Moloney and Mary-Louise Parker for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series; Mark Harmon, Tim Matheson, and Ron Silver for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Paris Barclay (for "The Indians in the Lobby") and Alex Graves (for "Posse Comitatus") were each nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, and Aaron Sorkin was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (for "Posse Comitatus").[29]

Thomas Del Ruth won an award from the American Society of Cinematographers for the episode "Bartlet for America".[30]

References

  1. ^ "Charlie Rose October 2002, Ep. 2". Amazon. October 2, 2002. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  2. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 8–14)". The Los Angeles Times. October 17, 2001. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  3. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times. October 24, 2001. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  4. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 22–28)". The Los Angeles Times. October 31, 2001. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  5. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 28–Nov. 4)". The Los Angeles Times. November 7, 2001. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  6. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 5–11)". The Los Angeles Times. November 14, 2001. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  7. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 12–18)". The Los Angeles Times. November 21, 2001. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  8. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 19–25)". The Los Angeles Times. November 28, 2001. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  9. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 26-Dec. 2)". The Los Angeles Times. December 5, 2001. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  10. ^ "The West Wing - Series - Episode List". TV Tango. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  11. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 7-13)". The Los Angeles Times. January 16, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  12. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 14-20)". The Los Angeles Times. January 25, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  13. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 28-Feb. 3)". The Los Angeles Times. February 6, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  14. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 4-10)". The Los Angeles Times. February 13, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  15. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 25-Mar. 3)". The Los Angeles Times. March 6, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  16. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Mar. 4-10)". The Los Angeles Times. March 13, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  17. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Mar. 25-31)". The Los Angeles Times. April 3, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  18. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Apr. 1-7)". The Los Angeles Times. April 10, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  19. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Apr. 29-May. 5)". The Los Angeles Times. May 8, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  20. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May. 6-12)". The Los Angeles Times. May 15, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  21. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May. 13-19)". The Los Angeles Times. May 22, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  22. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May. 20-26)". The Los Angeles Times. May 30, 2002. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  23. ^ "The West Wing: The Complete Third Season". Warner Bros. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  24. ^ a b "West Wing airs attacks show". BBC News. October 4, 2001. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  25. ^ Poniewozik, James (October 4, 2001). "'West Wing': Terrorism 101". Time. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  26. ^ "'West Wing' Episode Acts As Documentary With Real-life Politicos In The Mix". Orlando Sentinel. Cox News Service. April 22, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  27. ^ Zarchy, Bill (March 2003). "The West Wing documentary special". American Cinematographer. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  28. ^ "The West Wing: Season 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  29. ^ "The West Wing". Emmys.com. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  30. ^ "The ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography". American Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
General references
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_West_Wing_season_3&oldid=1124082861"